MyMedR

Fulltext Intestinal protozoan infections in Malaysia

Lai KP

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1992 Dec;23(4):578-86.

Intestinal protozoa are found in all communities in Malaysia and among all ethnic groups. Prevalence of intestinal protozoa is not affected by ethnicity but by living conditions. Communities with both basic amenities of safe water supply and proper toilets have lower prevalence than those with one or none of the amenity. Cryptosporidium is an important intestinal protozoon in Malaysia and should be included in future field and laboratory studies and also in laboratory diagnosis for pathogens. Much interest will be centered on Blastocystis hominis in future studies in view that it may be a cause of diarrhea.

Fulltext The influence of servicescape and service credibility on older adults' intention to recover

Lai KP, Chong SC

J Health Organ Manag, 2020 Feb 12;ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print).

PMID: 32064822 DOI: 10.1108/JHOM-07-2019-0215

PURPOSE: Based on the stimuli-organism-response (SOR) model and relationship marketing theory, the paper aims to examine whether servicescape influences trust, service credibility and affective commitment amongst older adults, and their effects on the intention to recover in a rehabilitation setting.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The study takes a quantitative approach, applying confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model to examine the responses. A total of 400 data were collected using questionnaires distributed to older adults in Malaysia. Respondents were selected based on two criteria: they should be over 65 years, and they should have been visiting the rehabilitation centres in the last 12 months.

FINDINGS: The results suggest that trust and affective commitment play significant roles in increasing the intention of older adults to recover. Contradicting previous research findings, service credibility does not have any significant impact on the intention to recover as hypothesised. The direct effect of service credibility on trust and affective commitment enhances the premise further that the relationship between service credibility and intention to recover is primarily indirect. Even though we expect servicescape to be a significant driver in forming the behaviour of older adults, its impact on intention to recover, trust and affective commitment remain non-significant, with the exception of service credibility.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Past studies have focused on the roles of servicescape and service credibility separately. We have extended the literature by examining the combined effects of both servicescape and service credibility. The findings, therefore, contribute to a deeper understanding of the literature on the intention-behaviour relationship in the context of healthcare, as well as in service marketing.

Acute respiratory tract infection: a community-based intervention study in Malaysia

Lye MS, Nair RC, Choo KE, Kaur H, Lai KP

J Trop Pediatr, 1996 06;42(3):138-43.

PMID: 8699578 DOI: 10.1093/tropej/42.3.138

A community-based intervention trial was conducted in Kelantan, Malaysia with the aim of reducing severe acute respiratory tract (ARI) infection in children. Interventions included health education of mothers on childhood pneumonia and training of health staff on case management. In a house-to-house survey 1382 and 1107 children less than 5 years of age in the intervention and control areas, respectively, were followed up every 2 weeks over a 62-week period. The reduction in the incidence of severe ARI cases in the intervention area was significantly greater than in the control area (P < 0.05). The ARI mortality rates were low in both the intervention and control areas ( < 0.1%). Our results indicate that with relatively inexpensive methods and simple interventions, reduction of severe ARI may be effectively achieved. This has important implications for an ARI control programme in Malaysia and other developing countries.

Fulltext Cryptosporidiosis among HIV positive intravenous drug users in Malaysia

Kamel AG, Maning N, Arulmainathan S, Murad S, Nasuruddin A, Lai KP

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1994 Dec;25(4):650-3.

PMID: 7667707

A study conducted at the Tampin Drug Rehabilitation Center in Malaysia established a high prevalence (23%) of asymptomatic carriers of Cryptosporidium among exposed HIV positive intravenous drug users (IVDUs). A majority of them were young adults and among the ethnic groups, the Malay HIV positive inmates had the highest prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection.

Fulltext Ascaris and Trichuris do not contribute to growth retardation in primary school children

Lai KP, Kaur H, Mathias RG, Ow-Yang CK

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1995 Jun;26(2):322-8.

PMID: 8629068

To access the effectiveness of the treatment of soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) on the growth of primary school children, 353 children were block stratified to receive either mebendazole plus pyrantel oxantel pamoate every three months or a placebo. The children were followed for two years with 89% completing the trial. Follow-up stools indicated that the treatment was efficacious for ascariasis and trichuriasis. There was virtually no hookworm infection. The children were malnourished as measured by the number below -2 SD of height and weight standards. There was no difference in height or weight between the treatment and control groups by sex initially or at the end of two years of follow-up. The treatment of Ascaris and Trichuris had no effect on growth parameters. The effect of STH on growth may be mediated through hookworm infections.

Filariasis in Negri Sembilan--a follow-up study

Cheah WC, Cheong WH, Mahadevan S, Lai KP, Sivanandam S

Med J Malaysia, 1977 Dec;32(2):103-10.

PMID: 614475

Acute respiratory infection in Malaysian children

Lye MS, Deavi U, Lai KP, Kaur H, Nair RC, Choo KE

J Trop Pediatr, 1994 Dec;40(6):334-40.

PMID: 7853437

A cross-sectional community-based survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in children below 7 years of age and to obtain baseline information for an intervention programme. A total of 6190 households comprising 38,632 persons with 12,273 children (32 per cent) below 7 years of age were surveyed. Information on socio-demographic variables, environmental sanitation, occurrence of ARI and diarrhoea, treatment seeking behaviour during episodes of those illnesses and immunizations among children were obtained. Thirty per cent of children had experienced ARI in the 2-week period prior to the interview, and 94 per cent had mild ARI, 1 per cent had moderate and 5 per cent had severe ARI. There was lack of concurrence between mother's perception of severity and that of the investigators' (Kappa coefficient = 0.083 (95 per cent CI = 0.017-0.149). Twenty-four and 39 per cent of severe and moderate ARI, respectively, were reported by mothers to be mild. There is cause for concern as these children may not receive timely and appropriate treatment. The findings from this study contribute to identification of target populations and priority areas for health education of the population. The survey has provided useful baseline data for the implementation of an intervention programme for the control of ARI in children.

Displaying all 7 publications